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What is truly remarkable is that up until that magical moment on centre court, the whole year had been a struggle for Pospisil, both in terms of injury and a series of first-round singles losses.

A week before Wimbledon, Pospisil was pain-free for the first time this year after his back had been giving him trouble.

As an overwhelming underdog, the talented 24-year-old Vernon, B.C., native pulled a major upset by capturing the Wimbledon title.

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Even now, Pospisil’s doubles record for 2014 is mediocre, making his Wimbledon achievement all the more stunning.

The singles tournament didn’t go so well at the All England Club. He lost in the first round.

However, he found a silver lining by teaming up with American Jack Sock in doubles. It was a surreal fortnight for both of them.

The Wimbledon doubles championship was an astonishing result because this was the first time that Pospisil had played with Sock. The first-time duo defeated the No. 1 seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, in the final and celebrated later with champagne.

Sock’s lethal forehand, crushed down the line on match point, was the decisive blow.

Pospisil joked that it was great that he didn’t have to do anything on the point but watch his partner finish off the Bryan brothers.

“Our games clicked perfectly together,” Pospisil told reporters after the match. “Through the tournament, when one guy was down, the other guy raised the level at the perfect time. I think we were complementing each other extremely well the whole tournament.”

Along the way, the duo upset the No. 8, No. 5 and No. 2 seeds. They had no pressure as an unseeded team with no one, including themselves, expecting this monumental result.

Pospisil’s best previous Grand Slam doubles result was a round of 16 appearances last year with Ottawa’s Jesse Levine at Wimbledon and with Daniel Nestor at the U.S. Open. Sock had won a mixed doubles title, teaming with Melanie Oudin, at the 2011 U.S. Open.

At Wimbledon, Pospisil and Sock signed up almost as a whim, although they didn’t discount the fact that they could go far. They are rangy players with strong serves and strong net play.

What’s amazing is they didn’t practise hardly at all before their first-round match. What was more important was their personalities meshed and they both enjoyed the moment, without letting the grandeur of the moment weigh them down.

It’s a hard balancing act: having fun and enjoying the moment, but being serious enough to want to win. Along the way, their tennis partnership has blossomed into a bond as friends.

Their first talked about teaming up about six weeks before Wimbledon.

Their games complement each other. Pospisil commands a strong net presence, putting away the easy volleys that come off Sock’s strong serves.

Pospisil’s doubles ranking soared from No. 94 to No. 33 following the Wimbledon victory. Only two other Canadians have captured Grand Slam doubles titles, Nestor and Sebastien Lareau at the 1999 U.S. Open.

Showing a dry sense of humour, Pospisil was asked at Wimbledon for the secret to beating the all-time best doubles pair in Grand Slam history.

“Close your eyes . . . hope you play the best tennis of your life,” he said, smiling.

Bob Bryan said after the Wimbledon loss that a new pairing like Pospisil and Sock are tough to stop because “everything is fresh and new” and it’s easy to get on a run.

“Those are two good players,” he said. “They are great athletes and have great futures on the singles court.”

Pospisil has entered the Rogers Cup tournament in both the singles and doubles. He said he will team with Sock for the rest of the season, including the U.S. Open and the season-ending doubles championship.

Pospisil’s breakthrough Wimbledon campaign in doubles has given Canada a glorious 1-2 punch in doubles with Nestor, who is still synonymous with doubles excellence in this country. Pospisil and Nestor have teamed up together on Davis Cup ties.

Pospisil had a dream singles run in last year’s Rogers Cup event, beating American John Isner in the first-round, taking out Radek Stepanek in the next round and scoring his first top-10 win by ousting No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the third round.

Pospisil still sees himself as a singles player first and it’s where he really wants to make his mark. He feels his doubles game can make his singles game even better by improving his ability to finish plays at the net.

Pospisil turned professional in 2007. He started playing tennis at age 5 and grew up admiring the play of Australia’s Patrick Rafter and Swiss star Roger Federer.

He is the son of Czech immigrants. His father, Milos, is a tennis coach who was an all-round athlete. Pospisil, who has a residence in Freeport, Bahamas, also has two older brothers, who also took tennis seriously and instilled a competitive spirit in the household.

At the age of 6, Pospisil entered a tennis tournament in the 12 and under category and won the whole thing. By the time he was 9, he won the 9-and-under Little Mo U.S. nationals in San Diego.

Pospisil was very good at soccer growing up, but as he gave up the sport at age 12 because of too many injuries, including being elbowed in the face and receiving a black eye.

Pospisil speaks English, Czech and French. He trained in the Czech Republic from ages 15 to 18 and developed a two-handed backhand.

Pospisil struggled with his confidence after turning pro. He was intimidated by his opponents. His confidence level turned around under the tutelage of former Canadian star tennis player Frederic Niemeyer, who had coached Raonic. The secret ingredient was that Niemeyer, according to Pospisil, paid him “high compliments” to get him believing in himself.

Pospisil credits another coach, Frederic Fontang, with taking his game to an even higher level with a tactical approach to tennis. Fontang introduced him to a new diet and fitness regime.

Pospisil committed to a written agreement on the aspects of the game that he needed to change.

Pospisil’s goal is to be a consistent top-30 player. Pospisil has won more than $1.6 million in career prize money in singles and doubles.

“I’m feeling optimistic about the rest of the year if my body can hold up,” Pospisil said.

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